Unearthing and re-creating the "company food" of yesteryear! I'll cook it, my husband will eat it, and you'll rest easy in the knowledge that your next backyard party or church potluck will be a success!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Eggplant Clam Casserole

I don't know if I've made anything thus far with two prominent ingredients which are wholly unappealing to me. I mean, to say, I do like both clams and eggplant in very specific contexts - like, when they are deep fried and covered in marinara sauce and melted cheese, or perhaps combined with pasta and doused in a garlicky butter sauce - but, on their own, with no adornment, neither one appeals to me much.

Which, naturally, is why I was compelled to try it.

Today's Eggplant Clam Casserole is my very first reader submission, brought to us by my old friend and Doctor-in-arms MichelleKunz, about whom I won't say much save that she is what one would have called "fierce" in the early two-thousand-aughts.

Fierce or not, if you'd like to submit a recipe of your very own for Husband to taste, email me!

From her original submission, she reports that:Don't have any other details on this. It's handwritten in my mother's writing and dated 1973, from a family friend.Family "friend"? I'LL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT.So, here's the recipe:1 eggplant1 egg1/4 lb butter or margarine1 can minced clams, with liquid1 1/2 c. cracker crumbs

Since I was using already-buttery-tasting Ritz crackers for my crumbs, I halved the amount of butter called for, because just in case you weren't aware, 1/4 lb. is a stick of butter. A girl has to be mindful of her figure, after all.

I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "moderate oven" but I baked it at 350, uncovered, for 35 minutes, which seemed to be plenty of time.

The result was quite a bit soupier than what I was expecting, more like what Mother might've called "scalloped" something-or-other. And what did Husband think?

Our Rating:Two Screaming Husbands!

(all dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce proceedings.)